"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."
~Gilda Radner

Monday, January 04, 2010

What's Up, 2010?!?

WOO! I have now officially had this blog for 5 YEARS!5 years and I haven't even hit 100 posts. That means I now have my first official goal of 2010!

So, here's the bottom line: I think New Year's resolutions are total hogwash. No one takes them seriously for more than a month. Then we all stumble around for the next 11 months either feeling like total failures, completely unaware of the resolutions we made, or vowing to make the changes "next year."It makes no sense to me. So I don't make resolutions. I set goals.If there is some positive and permanent change I wish to see in my life, I don't understand the benefit in waiting until the start of the next year to begin working on it. Why not just do it right then? Why do we always have to have "occasions" for things? Things like nice dishware and fancy soaps and candles, and a nice dinner out. We hoard these things for some occasion and then never really get to enjoy them. Just burn the damn smelly candles from Pier 1 that cost 12 dollars. And when it's gone, go get a new one. Go out to dinner for no reason. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow. If so, I bet you'll wish you had that amazing last meal.

There is no special occasion to warrant making positive changes. So just do it. Don't turn it into a damn "resolution," just do it.But goals on the other hand, are different. Goals are quantitative. Some boys think that girls don't understand numbers, but they are wrong. For those of you who don't know:quan·ti·ta·tive(kwnt-ttv)adj.

a. Expressed or expressible as a quantity.

b. Of, relating to, or susceptible of measurement.

c. Of or relating to number or quantity.

Goals are measurable. I like this. Its the easiest way to say "I did it!" or "I didn't. I stink."Resolutions, typically, are not.

Anyhow, goals should be able to produce a measurable result. Like, I will eat 17 cupcakes. You should be able to look back and say with certainty whether you did or did not eat 17 cupcakes in 2010.Or, I will workout 3 times a week. Again, either you did or you didn't.Well, what about my broader, more general goals, you ask? Like, for example, getting healthy.A great goal, I might add. So for those, think about what things you would need to do to start getting healthy. Then assign them a quantitative value. For example, I will include one fruit and one vegetable in each meal I eat. Or, I will do 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Or, I will read 2 books about healthy lifestyles. You get the idea?

Try to focus on things you will and CAN do, instead of things you won't. Instead of saying "I won't eat cookies" try "I will allow myself two dessert per week." The idea is to keep the verbage positive. If you focus on things you will do (CAN do) you are far more likely to stick to your goals, rather than if you add in things you "won't" "can't" or "shouldn't."

Make sense?

Some of my goals for 2010 are:

*complete the Broad Street Run (10 miles) in less than 1:50:00*complete the SheRox sprint triathalon*weight train 2xs per week* drink at least 32 ounces of water a day*get to 100 blog posts*blog post once a week (at least)

Haha, I started to get all "hey, hey now!" about what you were saying about resolutions. But I definitely agree with you on goals being so much better than resolutions! I have been making goals and it's working out well!